Yemeni Army Reports 700 Operations as Houthi Missiles Strike Saudi Arabia and Aden

The collapse of the 2022 ceasefire has led to sustained long-range exchanges between Yemen’s Houthi forces and Saudi Arabia. On Saturday, Houthi groups launched a new series of attacks targeting sites in both countries.

Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency confirmed on X that two ballistic missiles were fired toward Mecca and Medina. The agency warned of falling shrapnel after intercepting the projectiles. Images from the Saudi Press Agency showed a large, blackened missile-shaped object landed within the kingdom's territory.

In Aden, the Yemeni government’s Transport Ministry stated that two ballistic missiles hit International Airport. Officials identified this as the fourth such incident in the current month. They warned that the strikes threaten civil aviation safety and have economic consequences for residents relying on the facility for travel.

Houthi officials claimed responsibility for striking the al-Nasr camp and a naval military base in Aden. Yemeni authorities also reported damage to the coastguard headquarters and another building during the assault. On Friday, a Houthi missile malfunctioned and crashed into a family home in Sanaa, killing three people. The Yemeni army noted this was one of several recent malfunctions observed from the group.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that Saudi coalition airstrikes killed several civilians in Sanaa and Hodeidah. Riyadh had not issued a formal comment on the alleged raids as of Saturday. The Houthi group disputed the official narrative regarding their targets, calling the claim that they aimed at Mecca and Medina a huge lie. They stated their intended targets were three Saudi airports, oil infrastructure, and an airbase.

Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, a Yemeni army spokesman, said government forces conducted more than 700 targeting operations over the previous 24 hours. He claimed these operations neutralized 300 Houthi fighters and disabled military vehicles, though the figures were not independently verified. The operations focused on field command centres, weapons depots, and supply lines in Taiz.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, described the Houthi attacks as heinous. In a statement, he said the strikes embodied a blatant disregard for the lives and security of civilians.